Improvement in refining petroleum



UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

`SAMUEIAVAN SYCKEL, OF TITUSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND GIBBS, STERRETT @t CO., OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN lREFINING PETROLEUM.

Specicaton forming part of Letters Patent No. 140,801, dated July 15, 1873 application filed March 10, 1873.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL VAN SYcKEL, of Titusville, in the county of Crawford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Apparatus for Separating Gases from Crude Petroleum; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specication, which represents my improved apparatus partly in elevation and partly in section.

In pumping oil-wells it has been found that a gas exists in the oil as it comes from the well, which becomes free as soon as the oil is exposed to the atmosphere, and passing off is, on account of its highly-explosive character, a source of greatdanger, but which, if collected and conveyed to the re of the pumping-engine, may be utilized as fuel with a c0nsequent saving in that itemof expenditure, and also with a total avoidance of the danger which ordinarily results from the escape of this gas into Ythe atmosphere. It is also well known that in the distillation of crude petroleum a portion of the lighter vapors give when distilled a product of comparatively small commercial value, which, accordingto its specic gravity, is variously known as naphtha, gasoline, benzine, &c. These products, if they could be separated from the oil at the wells, could be in many cases used as fuel with great advantage. I propose by my invention to draw off such gases and lighter vapors from the oil at any suitable point between the well and the tank and conduct them to the engine-furnace or to any other desired fire, where, being used as fuel, they will be usefully employed with a consequent saving f expense.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and mode of operation.

Let b represent the pump or oil-discharge tube of an oil-well, b the piston or sucker rod, and f the oil-tank. At any suitable point bef tween the well and the tank I introduce a receiver, d, into which the oil from the pump is discharged, by the pipe b2, and from which it is conducted to the tank by an inverted siphonpipe, g, which, on the well-known fluidtrap principle, prevents the forward flow to the tank of any of the gases or vapors which may be freed from the oil in the receiver d. From` the top of the receiver a pipe, c, leads up and over to the fire by which to conduct the gases and vapors thereto, where they are utilized as fuel in anyof the ways known to the art.v As soon as the oil is discharged i11- to the receiver d the fixed gases above referred to, which come from the well with the oil, will separate therefrom and accumulate in the upper part of the receiver or flow off slowly i but to facilitate this separation, i

by the pipe c;

and also to raise the temperature of the oil so that the lighter vapors may be separated from f the oil, I introduce into the oil at any desired point, either while it is-in or before it reaches the receiver, a jet of steam, as shown by the pipe e; or, since a portion or all of these lighter vapors will unite readily with atmospheric air, a jet or flow of air may be introduced by the same pipe.

rIhe steam or air thus introduced may be brought into contact or admixture with the oil in any convenient way. As shown in the drawing, it is discharged into the body of the oil through jet-holes in the pipe e. If steam be used the boiler pressure will commonly be sufficient to secure this intermixture, but if air be used a pump or blower, or other known suitable means, may be employed to force the air in. The pressure thus created, by the forcing in of air or steam, will commonly be sufficient to carry the gases and vapors over to the lire; but to prevent any of the heavier vapors from going over I surround the pipe c, through a portion of its length, with a cylinder, h, into which I force water by a pipe, h1, and from which the water, as heated or warmed, iiows off by a pipe, h2; but other suitable known means of cooling may be substituted. The heavier vapors, if any should be formed, are thus condensed, and fall back into the body of the` oil in the receiver d. The remaining vapors, with the gases, will be driven over through the pipe c to the ire. The steam or air, instead of being introduced into the body of oil in the receiver, may enter at any desired point between the well and the eXit-orice of the pipe e. It may be introduced into the pipe b2, as at el, in which case it is preferably ofthe form of the wellknown injector or ejector, and may be of annular or other known shape. The effect on the oil, gas, and vapor will be the same as already described.

Where it is not desired to carry off any vapors other than such as the oil will give oli' under a partial vacuum the steam or air ejector may, as shown at e2, be arranged to open and discharge into the pipe e at any desired point between the lire and the place where the pipe c leaves the passage or passages through which the oil passes in going fr( m the Well to the tank, or it may be at the place last named. The effect of the ejector el will then be to draw off and carry over to the fire such gases and vapors as in or under a partial vacuum are freed from the oil; and in such use of the ejector the receiver d may be dispensed with and the lower end of the pipe c be connected directly with the pipe b2; but the presence of the inverted siphon-pipe or trap will in most cases be found desirable, if not necessary; and so much of the receiver as is represented by the dome may be advantageously used to facilitate the freeing and collection of the gases and vapors.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A steam or air ejector arranged at any desired point in the gas-pipe c, such pipe leading to the tire from the oil-passages at any desired point between the well and tank or between the tank and ire, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a pipe for supplying air or steam to the oil while in its passage from the well to the tank, and a pipe, c, for carrying the gases and vapors over to the re, a refrigerating or cooling apparatus applied to some part of the gas and vapor conductor, substantially in the manner and for the purposes set Jforth.

In testimony whereof I, the said SAMUEL VAN SYCKEL, have hereunto set my hand.

SAMUEL VAN SYGKEL.

Witnesses:

LYMAN STEWART, WALDRON M. DAME. 

